Former Chelsea goalkeeper and technical advisor Petr Cech played a pivotal role in the club’s urgent decision to sign Aston Villa's Emiliano Martinez.
Following a tense opening Premier League match against Fulham, which ended 3-2 in Chelsea’s favour, manager Xabi Alonso sought out Cech for advice on securing an experienced goalkeeper capable of holding down the No. 1 spot this season. Despite Cech's lack of official involvement in football at the moment, the legendary Czech shot-stopper immediately put forward the name of the 33-year-old Martinez, who had been on Chelsea’s radar since Cech's tenure at the club.
It’s been revealed that Cech had already met with Alonso back in July, urging the Spaniard to push for the signing of a new goalkeeper. At that time, however, the coaching staff struggled to convince the hierarchy of the urgent need for a transfer. It was only after a series of costly mistakes in the London derby that the club's bosses approved the emergency signing of a goalkeeper, albeit with a rather modest budget allocated for the task.
Martinez’s profile fit perfectly within the financial constraints, and recent insights from Fabrizio Romano and Matt Law confirmed that Chelsea and Aston Villa agreed on a full transfer for the Argentine keeper for a fee of £7.5 million.
